Clocked Again
by panfan87
Summary: Clocked, the novelette companion to Clockwise stops as Nate returns to the past with Casey a second time. I've continued with the story from his perspective. Note, this starts in chapter 12 of Clockwise and will continue to the end of Clockwise.
1. Chapter 1

A/N This is a time travel series by Elle Strauss. Clockwise is her original book and the kindle edition is FREE on amazon. She has a novelette companion to the book, called Clocked, which follows the events of Clockwise, but from the point of view of Nate rather than Casey. Unfortunately, Clocked only takes us through half of Clockwise. This is my take on Nate's POV through the rest of the book, effectively continuing Clocked.

If you haven't read Clockwise or Clocked, I highly recommend it. And her other books too.

Disclaimer - Clockwise and Clocked are owned by Elle Strauss and she (not me) has all rights to any of her characters and their dialogue.

...

"I still had her hand in mine and I squeezed it, hoping to comfort her. "This is my fault I guess."

I meant it as a joke but Casey didn't smile. Her eyes went to our interlocking fingers and a tear ran down her cheek. It killed me to see that. ... I guessed we'd have to see what this second trip back in time would bring. I was certain it would be an adventure.

...

I followed her as we headed back to her stash. The wood was quieter than last time, thanks to the blanket of fresh snow covering the forest floor. Good thing I had worn my old boots today instead of sneakers, otherwise my socks would have been soaked. We walked along in silence, I was thinking of how to let her know my feelings without, well without scaring her I guess. I kept thinking of the almost kiss, and wishing it hadn't been "almost". It appeared I would have to woo her the old-fashioned way. Fitting for the situation I suppose. With that plan in mind we arrived at the stash and I turned to give her space and privacy to change into a dress. I pulled my shirt down over my jeans to cover the zipper, since they apparently hadn't been invented yet. Unfortunately, that meant Casey made me leave my Toronto Maple Leafs hoodie in the clearing too. When Casey wasn't looking I rubbed my hands over my bare arms as the temperature dropped with the dropping sun. However, I wasn't about to let her see me shiver. If she could handle it, so could I. Plus I knew I would get it back when we returned to the present, since I had been wearing it at the mall. That part of the whole time-travel thing I didn't quite get. Of course, the fact that I was trying to figure out a time-travel thing at all was pretty remarkable.

As we resumed our now perfected awkward silence on the walk to the Watsons, my thoughts drifted back to how to woo Casey. Or how to "court" her, was that the word? Well, whatever. I liked her and if I could only get her to realize that - My musings were suddenly interrupted by Casey remarking, "I guess we're back to brother and sister now," Casey suddenly remarked, interrupting my musings. Shoot, I had forgotten about that part. I suppose trying to court isn't exactly "brotherly" behaviour. I sighed and then immediately flinched as I realized Casey probably mistook the meaning. She stared at me for a couple of second, let a long sigh too and began the same arm rubbing motion I had been secretly doing earlier. By reflex I leaned towards her and put my arm around her. She started and it then occurred to me that perhaps that wasn't the most "brotherly" move to make. I tried to justify it,

"You're shivering."

If she'd let me keep the hoodie, I would have draped it over her shoulders.

But instead, she shrugged off my arm and pulled away, muttered "I'm fine" and resumed walking towards the farmhouse, albeit a bit faster this time. Ouch. I watched her go, wondering if I had misread the signals during the last trip. Maybe she really wasn't interested and I should just go with the brother/sister thing. Nope, too late. I had already let my feelings start to develop and I wasn't going to be able to just turn them off. Which meant playing big brother at the Watson farm was going to really tax my non-existent acting capabilities.

The sound of an approaching wagon jolted me out of my reverie and I hurried to catch up to Casey, who was already several yards ahead of me. I caught up to her just as the carriage caught up to us. It slowed and I was simultaneously grateful and annoyed when the driver turned out to be Cobbs. Afterall, it was still a few more miles to the farm, but Cobbs was not on the top of my list for getting rides from. The smarmy grin plastered on his face as he pulled up alongside us only increased the contempt I felt for him.

"Well look what we have here, ain't you two the happy wanderers," he smirked.

"Hello Cobbs," I replied, decidedly _not_ returning his smile, "we were just on our way to the Watsons. You don't mind us hitching a ride I hope." Before he could respond I swung my leg over the side of the cart and pulled myself in, then reached down to give Casey a hand. That wiped the pompous smile off his face. "Course you are", he mumbled as he gave the reins a shake and the cart started forward again, "I don't get why the Watsons put up with you folks."

I grasped the side of the cart with one hand as it rumbled along the bumpy road and with my other hand grabbed one of the blankets in the back. Though not as soft as my hoodie (again, still missing it, it was my favorite), the blankets were at least warm and the sun has almost fully set by now. The other nice thing about cold air and bumpy roads - it makes a great excuse to cuddle! I pulled Casey closer to me and this time she didn't resist. I could smell her strawberry shampoo and feel her chest move up and down as she rested against me. Oh boy, pretending to be a brother is going to be _really _hard this time around!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When we arrived at the farmhouse, Willie greeted us and invited us for supper, as if we had only been gone a few hours instead of several weeks. Since we had just eaten lunch an hour ago at the mall, Casey declined. Wille said the cabin was still open and bid us good night as he gathered up his sisters (who had been making snow angels) and headed into the main house.

The cabin was colder than the outside and I headed straight for the fireplace. Although a lighter would have been nice right about now, the matches were sufficient and after a couple of failed attempts, I finally managed to get a decent fire started. I turned back to the main room and noticed that the sheet from last time was still up. Again, it felt as if we had never left. The mall, school, Jessica, it all seemed like a distant memory even though it hadn't even been a day. Too much of this time travel could really mess with a person's sense of reality. I glanced at Casey. She had already snuggled under the covers on her cot and I could just make out her head of curls over the blankets. I sat down on my cot, facing the cotton sheet between us.

"So this is your life Casey," I pondered aloud. She didn't respond, so I kept on talking, more to myself really. "Just one big loop, over and over."

She shifted under her covers and then in a tired voice replied "yeah, something like that."

I flopped down on my mattress with my hands under my head and closed my eyes. Voicing my earlier thoughts aloud I said "Doesn't it drive you crazy? Having your life interrupted all the time. Having to be two different people. Having to survive in a different era." It was already starting to drive me crazy and I had only been here once. She'd been doing this since she was nine! Granted, most of my troubles were complicated by my growing feeling for Casey, but still. Time-travel gets pretty trippy.

"It drives me crazy if I let it, but it's not something I can control" she sighed as she rolled over in her cot to face me. "I guess I view it as like someone living with epilepsy. While the seizures are inevitable, you can't let them rule your life. You just keep on living even though you know the seizures could happen anytime or anyplace." She let out another long sigh then continued, "Yes it's hard to be two people, live two lives. But it's not the worst thing a person could live with."

Wow. Clever, brave, and selfless. Casey just kept impressing me. At those last words, I recalled watching my aunt suffer through months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer, only to be diagnosed with it again two years later. Yep, there were definitely things that were worse to live with than time travel. But my aunt at least had lots of love and support from family and friends during the whole ordeal. Casey's been dealing with this on her own for nearly half her life. And there aren't exactly cures being developed from random fits of time-travel. I felt myself falling even harder for her.

I rolled onto my side and stared at where her eyes would be through the sheet. "I've never met anyone like you Casey. You're the strongest, bravest person I know." And I meant it. But there was still something else I had been wondering. "Aren't you afraid of changing history? I mean, how do you know that you haven't already?" I mean, if the Back to the Future movies were any indication, messing with the space-time continuum is dicey stuff.

As if reading my mind, Casey admitted that she too had been scared about that same thing, but added, "then I realized that I am part of that history. Our future is what it is despite or maybe because of the fact that I'm here."

I kind of understood, but I was eager to hear more of her theory, so I encourage her to continue,

"When I'm in my real time, the past has already happened, with me in it, like now. It's a loop, so when I'm here, I know that whatever happens with me already happens when I go back home. It's already part of the history."

Still curious, I countered, "but are you tempted to change things? Don't you want to do something like save Abraham Lincoln before he gets shot?"

"I used to think that maybe I'm here to fix an injustice, undo an evil, but then I figured maybe I could just end up setting the course for an even greater injustice or a greater evil. I'm not God. It's not my place to mess with something this big."

I paused my question barrage to consider that. I just couldn't shake that there must be _some_ reason for her crazy time-travel life. I mean, it's quite the gift to be born with I guess. But she had a point - trying to hard to make things right might make it worse. But still, why her? As if reading my thoughts, Casey started talking again,

"I do wonder why, though. Why do I travel? Why me? Is it just a weird quirk of nature, or is there some higher purpose?"

Since I had been contemplating the same thing, I didn't have a good answer, so I just kept silent, staring up at the ceiling.

After a few more moments, I continued with a few more questions, something else that had been bugging me,

"What happens if you die here?"

"I don't know. I just assumed that since I'm still there, I couldn't have died here."

That seemed a bit optimistic to me. "Are you sure?"

"No."

I certainly didn't want that theory to have to be put to the test. But I didn't have much more time to ponder the morbid thought of dying in the past because we were interrupted by a loud, frantic banging at the door. I popped out of bed and ran to open it. Willie was there, red-faced and breathing heavy.

"Sorry to bother you, but Cassandra, Sara needs you. Our mother is having the babe."

And with that, the night just got a whole lot more exciting!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We sprinted through the snow to the main house. As soon as we crossed the threshold, Sara shoved several blankets into Casey's arms and practically dragged her up the staircase. I watched her go, then turned to Willie, but he was preoccupied with keeping the kids busy. I considered going back to the cabin to sleep, since I knew chores would be happening in the morning regardless of the birth, but I was too wired-up. Needing to do _something_with my hands, I wandered into the kitchen and began slicing the loaf of bread that was sitting on the counter. I pulled out one of the cast-iron pans and lit the stove. I wasn't that skilled in the kitchen, but I did know how to make toast, so toast I was going to make. I was halfway through the loaf when I heard the cry coming from upstairs. I paused my toast-making to gather up the finished slices onto a plate and brought them into the living room as Sara descended the stairs, holding a bundle of blankets I presumed was the newest member of the Watson clan.

The younger kids ran to the living room and Sara sat down while they peeked at their new baby brother.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Daniel," Sara replied. When the kids had gotten bored, I took my turn to peek at the little guy. He had fallen asleep and looked so innocent and fragile. I didn't have any younger siblings or cousins, so this was pretty much my first experience with a newborn. I stepped back to give Sara some space and then turned to look at Casey. She looked exhausted.

"I think if you're done with me, Sara, I will go back to my cabin," she said.

"Of course, you must be tired. Thank you so much for your help tonight." Sara replied.

As Casey took one more peek at the babe, Sara held the bundle out to her, "do you want to hold him?" Casey looked conflicted, but in the next moment Sara had placed Daniel in her arms and she was sitting in the rocking chair. I smirked. If her facial expression was any indication, she had about as much experience as I did with babies. Which is why Sara's next question directed to Casey surprised me.

"Does he make you miss yours?"

Still looking at Daniel, Casey replied, obviously confused, "miss my what?"

"Your baby brother."

Casey had a baby brother? Now that I thought about it, I really didn't know anything about Casey's life. Her real life that is. I made a mental note to get know that side of her better too.

"Yeah I guess."

"What's his name?"

Casey looked up at Sara, "Whose name?"

I smirked again. Casey must be either really smitten with Daniel, totally exhausted, or both. Luckily Sara was patient and could also tell Casey was tired.

"Your baby brother's name."

"My brother's name is Timothy."

She returned to looking at Daniel. I stifled a yawn and studied her face. She seemed deep in thought and then suddenly very sad. Tears started forming and I figured the fatigue was really starting to get to her, so I stepped in,

"Cassandra? We should get some rest."

Casey hiccuped and returned the baby to his sister. As we walked back to the cabin Casey's eyes were still teary and she was sniffling. I couldn't tell if she was still emotional from the birth or just catching a cold in the snow, but I kept glancing at her, not sure of the right response. We reached the cabin and laid down on our respective cots. I considered trying to talk to Casey about the tears, but the sleep pulling at my head was too irresistible and I gave in.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Morning arrived far too soon. Day one and I already wanted to strangle that rooster. Just like last time, Willie had left two pairs of boots at the door to the cabin. He had also left a heavy men's work-coat, which I was extremely grateful for. Casey seemed to have recovered from the emotions of the night before and I decided I wouldn't press the issue unless she brought it up.

Casey put on her boots and headed to the main house. I donned my boots and the coat and met up with Willie in the barn. Without fields to plow or crops to harvest, I wondered what work would be waiting me for the winter. Turns out even the off season isn't a break. The cows still needed milking and the eggs picked. I resolved that I would get just as good as Casey at milking cows by the time we went back to our time. I fully intended on challenging her to a milking race. There were also repairs to be done in the barn and on the fences around the property. I got nervous whenever Mr. Watson had us working on the fences far from the main house. What if Casey had her "go-back" feeling and didn't get to me in time? I needn't have worried too much. A week went by and each day Casey and I came back to the cabin, too worn out from the day to chat.

On day 7 of our "trip", I was shoveling snow on the front walk when I noticed a figure approaching the farm. I squinted, then my eyes widened and I waved, yelling,

"Samuel! Over here!"

He waved and continued walking towards me. When he reached me I clapped him on the back,

"Hey man! Good to see you again, how's it going?"

Samuel flinched and I moved my arm back to my side. Right, whites and blacks in the nineteenth century didn't do that. Of course, that didn't mean I still couldn't be friendly.

"Let's go the cabin and say hi to the gals. Besides, it's almost lunch time and I'm sure you're hungry."

We hurried to the kitchen door and seeing Casey stirring a pot of something delicious on the stove I poked my head inside, "Look who I found in the yard!"

Casey turned her head and her eyes lit up as Samuel poked his head around mine.

"Samuel!" she exclaimed.

He nodded to her, "Miss Cassandra."

There was a pause, then Sara entered the kitchen. She noticed us at the door and invited us inside, while instructing one of her sisters to add an extra plate to the table for Sam. The atmosphere until Cobbs arrived and noticed Samuel, successfully ratcheting up the tension several notches. Ignoring the glares he was giving to Sam and supressing my urge to punch the guy, I turned to the runaway and asked what he had been up to the past few months,

"Oh this and that." He replied. "Just trying to find work and keep warm."

Casey asked if he had found his brother Jonah, but Samuel shook his head and took another bite of porridge. Cobbs grimaced and then abrubtly left the table without warning. I watched him leave, frowning, then turned back to Sam.

"Did you sleep in the loft last night?" I asked. He shook his head again, "It's better for someone like me to keep moving around."

We all nodded. I recalled the trouble with Cobbs from last time and knew he had taken a risk to even come here, relying on the Christian charity of the Watsons.

As if to illustrate my thought, Sara said, "well, we're glad to have the extra hands. Willie's gone off to Worchester and I'm sure Nate appreciates the extra help."

She was right. Even though WIllie had only left that morning, my body was already groaning under the weight of the extra chores. Sam's timing couldn't have been more perfect.

We finished the porridge, making some more light conversation about the weather. Too soon it was time to return to the chores.

Sam followed me to the barn and I grabbed him a shovel. "Care to help me finish the walk? Then Mr. Watson wants us to get started on building a second chicken coop. He's hoping to get another rooster soon and raise some more chicks." Sam smiled, "sounds good to me. Lead the way." We walked back out the snow. I began shoveling where I had left off before Sam arrived and we continued the work, moving in opposite directions as we shoveled. We worked in silence, listening only to each other's heavy breathing. After about thirty minutes I realized I couldn't hear Sam's breathing anymore. I paused and glanced around me. His shovel was laying in the snow and there were footprints leading to the barn. Along with a trail in the snow that looked like something had been dragged along behind the prints. Or someone. Getting a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach I dropped my shovel and ran to the barn, calling for Sam. He wasn't there. Neither was Cobb's horse. I ran back out of the barn towards the main road and saw a squat man riding off. I squinted and realized there was something strapped to the back of the horse, bouncing along. No, not something, someone. Cobbs had taken Samuel! I started to run after them, but realized I would never catch up on foot. I turned and ran back towards the mainhouse, rushing in. Sara and Casey turned and gaped at me as I spouted out what I had seen between gasps for breath.

"Do you think Cobbs took him for reward money?" Casey looked worred. "What if someone is there to claim him?"

Sara's jaw tightened, "Oh no. And Willie won't return from Worchester until later this afternoon."

Casey's face switched from worried to determined as she looked at me, "Can you ride a horse? I mean, can you ride a horse, you know since your accident?"

What accident? I gave her a puzzled look,

"Yeah, I learned in Canada." My mom had made me take equestrian classes when I was in elementary school. Though that had been English riding, I figured it couldn't be that much different. I looked back at Casey,

She rolled her eyes at my response, glancing quickly at Sara (who was looking suspiciously at Casey), then said "You mean we got the horse in Canada."

Wait what? Now I was really confused. Sara seemed to have had enough of it, because she turned to me and ordered, "Nate, take a horse and follow him."

Knowing we had wasted precious time already, I hurried out of the house and back to the barn. To my suprise and chagrin, I heard Casey running to catch up.

I stopped and wheeled around to look at her, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going with you."

I groaned and continued to to the barn. "No you're not," I demanded without looking back at her. This was rescuing a fugitive slave, it was dangerous! I couldn't let her risk hurting herself and besides, she would slow me down.

"NATE!"

I turned and could see the anger in her eyes. "I'm the one who's supposed to be here, Nate, not you. I'm coming." That jab hurt. I mean, I had been the one to reach for her hand, it wasn't her fault I was here. But she still thought it was. We didn't have time to argue and I didn't really want to piss her off any more so we raced to the barn. I grabbed a saddle and put it on the closest mare. I got on and was going to reach down to help Casey up, but she had already hoisted herself up behind me. She wrapped her arms around me as we started out, and had it been another situation, I would have been ecstatic.

As we made our way to Boston, the mare started skittering and cantering. It turns out western riding is further from English than I realized. I tried to calm the horse, but Casey squeled, "We've got to go faster Nate!" Not sure what else to do I kicked and the mare shot off. We were racing now through the trees and every once and awhile would skid on slicks of ice.

After about 20 minutes of riding I caught a glimpse of red in the distance. As we got closer, I could tell it was part of Cobb's flannel jacket. "Cobbs, Stop!" I yelled.

Instead of stopping, Cobbs spurred his horse on faster. Poor Samuel was jostling around on the back of the horse and I was afraid he was going to fall off. Cobbs veered off the road and into the woods. I spurred the mare to follow. Eventually we came to a crossroads and I had to slow. I wasn't sure which way Cobbs had gone and was afraid of telling Casey that I had lost them. Suddenly a twig cracked and Casey pointed down one of the paths, "That way!"

I pushed the mare harder and thought we might even catch up. Then Casey yelled, "Nate!" I was confused about the outburst until I saw the fallen log in our path.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

…...

A/N - sorry for the later update and the shorter chapter. Life gets in the way :) Well, enjoy anyways!

…...

I saw the blocked path a minute too late. I pulled up on the mare's reins, hoping she could jump over the log, just as I had done in my English riding lessons. She gave it her best shot, but the icy path was too slippery. I felt the jolt back as her leg caught on the back of the log and then felt myself tumbling to the forest floor. I shifted my body midair to position myself under Casey as best I could. Hrmph, I landed hard on my left side and Casey rolled off me to the right and I heard a thud. So much for my keeping her from getting hurt. I heard her groan and then call my name.

"Casey, are you alright?"

"I hit my head. And my ribs hurt, but I think I'm okay, nothing broken. How about you?"

I cradled my left elbow. "My arm. But it's not broken either, just bruised, I think." Wincing only slightly, I helped Casey up with my right arm and she brushed the dirt off her dress.

I looked around and saw the mare in the trees not far away. She looked at bit skittish, but not hurt, which was good. I started toward the horse slowly, speaking to her in a quiet calm voice. It must have worked because she didn't bolt and I managed to grab the reins. I heard Casey let out a big sigh behind me. I helped Casey onto the mare and managed to pull myself onto the saddle behind her, trying to minimize using my left arm as much as possible. I wrapped my arms around the gal, grabbed the reins and urged the horse on in the direction we had been going, albeit much slower this time. The snow around us muffled any noises and the forest was eerily quiet.

"We're not lost are we?" she asked.

Truthfully, I was pretty sure we were, but I wasn't about to admit that. "Nah, we're on a trail. It's bound to get us to the road eventually."

"Nate, we can't give up. We have to find him."

I let out a deep breath. Yeah, I wanted to find him too, but I couldn't help feeling like we were too late, or that perhaps we had entered on a fool's journey with our rescue attempt. But in the next instance I was reminded of Tyson or even Josh. If this had happened to them, I couldn't give up! But that was real time, my time, future time. This was the past, where things that happened already happened, right? Was Samuel destined to be captured? Could we even save him?

"I want to find him too. But, what about your philosophy? Not to get involved? If we rescued Samuel, aren't we interfering? Maybe changing history?"

She didn't respond. We kept trekking along in silence. The sun was also going down and it was starting to get uncomfortably cold. As if feeling the same cold, Casey nuzzled closer to me and I couldn't help but grin.

About ten minutes later, Casey spoke up again. "We're just going in circles," she whined. I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was worried.

"No we're not. Nellie will get us out", I replied, lacing my words with extra confidence, in an effort to convince her and myself that we wouldn't be forced to spend the night in the middle of the freezing forest. My words must have convinced the horse too, because a few minutes later the woods thinned and we saw the road.

"You did it Nellie, good girl!" Casey reached down and patted the mare on her head.

"Which way Casey?" I asked.

She looked around, her eyebrows scrunching as she pondered the options. Then she pointed to the right. "The sun is setting over there, so that must be the direction of the Watson's farm. We'll have to wait until we come to a road marker to know for sure."

I directed Nellie in the direction Casey had pointed. We both knew that returning to the farm meant we had to give up on saving Samuel. Although I had come to that conclusion an hour or so ago, it still felt wrong to go back empty-handed. History, shmistory, Sam was a good guy and didn't deserve to be returned to the horrors of slavery. But with the sun rapidly setting, there was little we could do but return back. The Watson's, especially Sara, would be worried sick if we didn't return by nightfall. Too bad we couldn't just call her from our cell-phone to let her know we were okay, or use a gps to find our way back. Wow, had the world changed in 150 years!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

We continued trotting along. Casey had also made me leave my digital watch with my sweatshirt back at her stash, since having something like that would definitely be anachronistic. As such, I didn't have a means of knowing exactly how long we had been away from the Watsons, but I'd wager several hours at this point, considering the darkened sky. Casey and I both noticed a light in the distance.

"What's that?" She asked.

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out." My stomach rumbled and I really hoped that the light meant there was food. Neither of us hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"I think it's a pub," she said after a bit. Good, they'll have food. The thought of grub made my stomach rumble again. We didn't have any money with us, but we might be able to negotiate something. And hopefully get directions to the Watsons. I glanced around for somewhere to tie up Nellie when I spotted a familiar looking mare already at the hitching post.

"That's Blossom," I said, in a hushed tone.

Casey turned and gave me a puzzled look. "Who?"

"The horse Cobbs was riding." I pointed to the mare. The look in Casey's eyes turned from bewilderment to understanding, laced with a glimmer of hope, "Then he's here? Samuel must be here too!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. We have to be careful."

She nodded. I slipped off the back of the horse and helped her dismount. I tied up our horse far from Blossom and Casey and I crept to the window of the pub. We slowly peeked through the grimy windows. I squinted, trying to make out whether the stout man off to the corner was Cobbs. The man in question shifted in his seat and I ducked down.

A second later, Casey ducked down too and whispered, "He's in there." She then lifted her head to peek back through the window.

"Can you see Samuel?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Cobbs wouldn't bring a black man in there. He must have tied him up somewhere out here." Right, 1860s, of course Sam wouldn't be in there. She crouched back down and we crept along the side of the building to the back. Casey pointed down a barely visible deer path. "He's in there." I focused my eyes and could make out a shack at the end of the trail. I nodded and we slunk down to the shed. When we reached the door, I quietly knocked.

"Samuel?"

We heard movement from inside. My heart was racing faster now. This had to be him.

"Samuel?" asked Casey, a little louder this time.

A wary voice sounded from inside, "Who's there?" I recognized immediately that it was our man, Sam.

"Samuel, it's Cassandra and Nathaniel. We're here to help you!" At that, the door rattled from inside, but stayed shut.

"Shoot, it's locked. I'll go find a rock." Casey stayed by the shed, tugging fruitlessly at the door handle while I walked a little ways back up the trail to find a rock. It was dark and hard to see, but after a minute or two, I found a chunk of rock about the size of my fist. I hurried back over to Casey, who stepped out of the way as I slammed the stone against the door handle. There was a loud clang as the rock hit the metal, but the locking mechanism was still in tact. I struck again, putting more weight behind it. Still, the lock didn't budge.

"Nate, it's too loud!"

Casey was right. At this point, all I was doing was making a ruckus, which would only get us and Sam into more trouble. The lock wouldn't budge, but the hinges were looking a little rusty. Not sure what else to do at this point, I pushed Casey behind me and spoke to the trapped man, who was still rattling the door from his end.

"Stand back, Samuel. I'm going to kick down the door."

The rattling stopped and Casey scurried a little further back. I wasn't sure it would work, but I was running out of options. I centered my body, lifted my right leg and delivered a powerful kick to the door. The hinges must have been really old, because the kick worked and the door finally budged. Casey and I ran to the door and pushed it aside. Samuel scrambled out and we drew him into a tight embrace.

"Samuel, are you ok?" asked Casey, her voice laced with concern for our friend.

"I gotta bump the size of a dome on my head and I'm a little stiff, but otherwise I'm fine." Sam took a step back his gaze alternated between the two of us, "I can't believe you did it, but thanks for coming after me."

" No time for small talk," I responded as I led the other two back up the path towards the pub. We had made quite a racket and it wouldn't be long before someone came to investigate. I didn't want us to be here when Cobbs discovered his "goods" missing. We quickly reached Nellie.

"Case, you take Samuel back to the Watsons'. I'll meet you there."

"But you don't know the way" she protested. "You take Samuel and I'll walk." Man, was she obstinate! I stared her down, "there's no way I'm leaving you unattended, Casey."

Samuel spoke up, "Uh, Miss Cassandra, if I may interrupt, Mr. Nathaniel is right. This is no place for a lady to be found alone."

Casey's eyes narrowed at me and I thought for sure she would argue again, but instead she acquiesced. "Oh, alright. Nate, are you sure you'll be alright?"

Samuel interrupted again, "Actually, if you don't mind, I think I'll make my own way. I'm so grateful for your help, but I can manage now on my own." He stuck his hand out. I was still worried for the man, but taking care of Casey was my first priority. So I grasped his hand in mine and gave it a good pump. "Take care, man" I said. Samuel nodded at me, then at Casey. He released my hand and sprinted off into the woods.

"Samuel!" Casey shouted after the man. I rolled my eyes, "Shh, Casey. We don't want to be found out. He'll be fine. It's us I'm worried about now." I mounted the mare and helped Casey up to sit in front of me. She shivered and I wrapped my arms around her as I grabbed hold of the reins. It was fully night now and I was still hungry. But as we trotted along the road in what was hopefully the direction of the Watson farm, I felt deeply satisfied. We had saved Samuel. And there was an amazing and beautiful girl cuddling up to me. The day had turned out perfect after all.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A/N - some mild cussing, but it's all in Nate's head. I can't help the words teenage boys think, sorry!

….

It turns out the pub wasn't too far from the farm. We were only on the road for another hour after the daring rescue before we saw the candlelight flickering from the windows of the main house. I urged Nellie along faster, eager for a warm dinner and a soft bed. We got closer and I heard one of the little kids shout.

"Sara, Sara! They're back!"

I dismounted and helped Casey down. Josephine ran out and grabbed Nellie's reins from me, leading the mare back to the barn. I put my arm around Casey and led her through the kitchen door. Sara, already wearing her nightgown, greeted us and sat us down at the table. We were both too tired to speak and so kept silent well Sara fretted about the kitchen, warming up some tea and making some toast and porridge for us.

After we had eaten our fill, we both clasped our steaming mugs of tea and I listened as Casey told the tale of our adventure. She was a great story-teller. I was as enraptured by her words as the Watson children, and I had been there! When Casey finished the tale, the sun had already started to rise and I stifled a yawn.

Sara looked deep in thought and shook her head. "I can't believe it," she murmured. "I'm just so glad Samuel got away. God bless you both for what you did."

"Yes, well done," chimed in Mrs. Watson. No man deserves to be treated like cattle or a family pet."

"And Cobbs most certainly is not welcome here anymore," added Willie, who had returned from Worchester while we had been out. "I still can't believe I missed all the excitement," he pouted. Sara was about to respond to his comment but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who on earth would be calling at this hour?" asked Mrs. Watson to no one in particular as Willie stood and walked towards the door. He opened it, to reveal none other the one man I disliked more than Cobbs.

"Greetings Robert. What brings you this way?" Willie addressed the fellow as he made stepped across the threshold into the house.

"An invitation, actually," he replied, and turned to smile at Casey. She blushed and I scowled. I really did_not_ like this guy. "Miss Donovan," he continued, "such a pleasure to see you again." Her blush deepened and she subconsciously reached up to pat down her hair. Geez, was she seriously _flirting_ with the pompous ass? Besides, even I could see that Sara for some reason was just as infatuated with the man. I grimaced. Why did the past seem to have just as much relationship drama as the future. Somethings never change I guess.

As if sensing my glower at him, Robert turned to me and asked, "did I see you riding last night, out on route 4 near the tavern?"

Shit. My eyes widened in surprise. "You were there?"

Panic coursed through me. How much did he see? Did he know what we did? The guy was no abolitionist and I'm pretty sure our actions yesterday had been illegal. Was he going to turn us in? Also, what was he doing at the tavern in the first place? Did it have some connection to Cobbs or was it just a coincidence?

"I was just leaving as you passed by. A shame we didn't meet a moment sooner, we could have shared a pint." Yeah right. A moment sooner and he would have caught us breaking the law, rescuing a runaway slave. And there was no way I was sharing a pint of anything with him, ever.

He glanced back towards Casey, "but then again, we couldn't have, considering you were in the company of your lovely sister." I glowered at him, not pleased with the lusty look the masochistic jerk was giving the completely oblivious brunette next to me.

"Well, we're certainly delighted that you dropped by," Sara said. She was gushing and trying a bit too desperately to get his attention focused in her direction. Sara was no Jessica and it made me a little upset to see her swoon after a man who was, in my opinion, a bottom of the barrel scumbag. Besides, the scum had obviously set his sights on my Casey and was completely ignoring Sara.

"Yes, the reason for my visit," Robert stood a little straighter and cleared his throat, "I would like to invite you all to a Christmas Party tomorrow night. At my estate."

"It would be our greatest pleasure and honor to join you, Mr. Willingsworth," replied Sara, blushing a little as he nodded to her.

"My dear Cassandra," he turned back towards Casey, "I do hope you and your brother, Mr. Donovan, will attend as well?" There was a bit too much emphasis on the word "brother" as he glanced towards me. The dog could probably sense that the anger and jealously seeping through my pores was not exactly of the brotherly type. This sibling charade was becoming more and more difficult to manage.

"Of course Mr. Willingsworth, we'd be delighted to attend," Casey gushed.

"Tremendous. We shall see you all then." With that, Robert turned and left.

Once he was gone, I slumped down into my chair, raking my hand through my hair. Casey let out a big yawn, startling Sara who had been staring fondly at the door Robert had passed through a moment ago.

"Oh dear, you two must be exhausted! Don't worry, we'll manage the chores for the morning. Get some sleep and we'll see you after lunch." Sara shuttled us to the back door and we didn't put up a fight. Sleep sounded perfect right about now, although my nerves were still on edge after the surprise visit from Willingsworth.

Back at the cabin, I laid my head down on the pillow. I heard Casey shuffle on the other side of the sheet and took it to mean she was still awake.

"I don't like the way he looks at you."

"Who?" She asked.

She was playing dumb. "You know who."

"Robert?" Duh, who else.

"Oh, so it's Robert now. Already past the Mr. Willingsworth stage." I knew I was being petty and a little mean, but I was exhausted and on edge. I had to make sure Casey wasn't falling for the jerk. Not just because I wanted her to like me, but because I didn't trust the guy. Showing up like that after seeing us at the tavern? It was too much of a coincidence and it made me uncomfortable.

"You expect me to call him Mr. Willingsworth? When talking to you?" She sounded incredulous.

Then her voice hardened, "Besides, he asked me to call him Robert."

Right, as if that made me feel any better.

"I just don't trust him, that's all."

"Fine, don't trust him. But we have to go to the party. We owe it to the Watsons." I personally didn't think she'd be doing any favors for Sara if she went to the party, but I could tell I had already pushed too many buttons. Besides, there was a chance that come Saturday we'd be back in the 21st century and my biggest concern would be whether to waste my time watching TV or surfing the internet.

Turns out, I wasn't that lucky.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A/N: This is a bonus chapter, as in there isn't an equivalent Casey perspective in Clockwise. But I thought it was a cute idea, and just _had_ to write it. Hope you like it too! Don't worry, we'll get back to the main storyline in chapter 9.

Turns out, I wasn't that lucky.

Saturday arrived and Casey hadn't had any tingling or whatever to indicate a blast back to the future. The sleep and return to chores had calmed me down the past few days, but I still wasn't looking forward to the party. I also didn't know how to dance. Sure, I wasn't a complete buffon on the dance floor and could do the slow dance shuffle pretty well (when the girl wasn't dragging me to different centuries that is). But that was all to modern music. I had missed VH1's "Best of the 1860s" and I couldn't secretly learn from youtube, considering it didn't exist yet. Resolved to the fact that Casey wasn't going to give me a get out of time free card before the party tonight, I approached Willie as we finished up milking the cows.

"Hey Willie, um, I need your help on something, only you have to _promise_ not to tell Casey, er, Cassandra."

"Absolutely, Nathaniel. What do you need assistance with?"

I took a deep breath. "Dancing." I waited for the laughter, but he just smiled. "And what about dancing do you need help with?" I debated whether to look like a complete fool and admit to my utter incompetence or play cool, like dancing was nothing. In the end, I decided looking silly now was far better than failing miserably at the party tonight in front of Willingworth. Willie was a good man and wouldn't think less of me for my inexperience. I just hoped he'd be willing to get me up to at least passable standards by this evening.

"Well, I've never been to this kind of dance before. I don't have a clue what to do." Willie looked at me. Oh, I hope that wasn't the wrong thing to say. Would it be too weird to be eighteen and not have gone to a dance?

"We'll have to teach you then! I'll get Sara."

Shoot, no, I just wanted WIllie in on this. The fewer people who knew I couldn't dance, the better. But Willie had already started walking to the house.

"I'm okay at dancing, but Sara is much better. And she's a better teacher. Why do you not want Cassandra to know?"

"She would tease me mercilessly. Uh, you know how sisters can be." Although Sara was pretty mature for her age.

He chuckled, "yeah, I understand. When I was younger, I would challenge Josephine to foot races, knowing I would win. Only one time she beat me. Now that she's faster than me, she doesn't let me forget it!"

We arrived at the back of the house. "Wait here, I'll fetch Sara."

I stood fiddling with my pockets and shuffling my feet. A couple minutes later, Sara and Willie emerged.

"Yes Nathaniel? Willie mentioned you needed my assistance with something?"

Gar, he was going to me make me admit my ineptitude myself. Willie grinned at my obvious discomfort.

"Um, well, see, I asked Willie to, uh, er..."

Willie rolled his eyes, "Nathaniel would like to learn a few dances before the party this evening. He assures me that his experience level is low with regards to dances. He also doesn't feel inclined to admit this to his sister." He winked about me.

"Oh! Is this true?"

"Yes ma'am. Willie said you could teach me?"

"Certainly. I'll have Cassandra help Josephine to finish the washing and then you and Willie may join me in the parlor."

"Great, thank you!"

Willie and I waited for Casey to leave and then came into the house. When we arrived in the parlor, Sara was setting up something that looked like a giant record player attached to the bell of a tuba. Music began to play and Sara turned to me.

"The first dance you should learn is the waltz. Unless you already know this one?"

I mean I had heard of the waltz. But I had no clue how to actually do it. I shook my head.

"Alright. The waltz is in three-four time and the basic step is a box-step. Willie, come here and show Nathaniel how the dance should look."

Willie did as he was told and I tried to focus on his feet and memorize the steps as he gracefully swept Sara around the room.

A few minutes later, the song stopped. Willie bowed to his sister, who curtsied back, causing a few giggles to erupt behind me. I turned and noticed a couple of the younger Watson kids had come in to watch. Great, now I had an audience.

Willie went to adjust the music and Sara turned to me. "Nathaniel, it is your turn. When you approach, you should bow and I will curtsy." I complied. "Now, place your right hand on my back and my right hand in your left. No, like this." She readjusted my grip and I heard the giggling again. I stuck my tongue out at them and they giggled harder. "Just ignore them," Sara said, smiling at my childish response. Again complying I focused up, adjusting my posture to stand tall.

"Now, the man always leads the dance of course. Nathaniel, you step forward with your right foot, guiding the woman backwards."

I did so and stepped on her foot. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, cringing as the giggling erupted _again_.

"It's okay, Nathaniel, try again." I did, and managed to not hurt any toes this time.

She continued to show me the steps and I continued to fumble through. But after half an hour, I could dance around the room without tripping and even managed to accomplish a couple of spins. It was probably the fancy footwork training from basketball that kicked in to help. When the song ended, I bowed and she curtsied. Sara clapped her hands, giving me a wide grin, "That was excellent, you are a fast learner and a natural dancer. It's a wonder you never learned before." I wasn't about to tell her that no one I knew could dance the waltz. Well, except for Casey, I'm sure.

"Thank you, Sara, but my learning is only proportional to the teaching." She blushed. If I wasn't careful, I'd have her crushing on me instead of Robert. Now, that would be really awkward.

"Well, I have one more dance to teach you. The waltz is a couples dance, but there will be several social dances. I expect the Virgina Reel will be played at least twice, so we shall start there. Children, would you like to help Nathaniel with this one?" She addressed the kids who were starting to look exceedingly bored. They perked up at her suggestion and hurried to the center of the room. Willie adjusted the music and a new song started up.

She talked me through the moves as we danced together. This one was much more complicated than the waltz; there was clapping and spinning and even a bridge like the cheerleaders would do at the end of a football game. I wasn't sure how I would manage to remember all the steps, but so far I was doing a good job of following along. And by the end of the dance I had gotten much better (although still not as much of a natural as even the youngest kids). I was also exhausted.

When we were finally finished, Willie ushered the kids out of the parlor and Sara turned to me. "Nathaniel, you were excellent! I'm sure you will have many women asking for you on their dance cards tomorrow night. Did you have any more questions?" I wanted to ask what the heck a dance card was, but decided I could ask Casey about that one.

"No, I should be good, thank you for you assistance Sara. And please don't mention this to Casey - er I mean Cassandra."

"It'll be our secret," she smiled.

Willie and I walked back to the barn and passed Casey and Josephine hanging shirts on the the clothes line. She saw me and gave me a puzzled look. "Where have you two been hiding this afternoon?"

I tried to look as innocent as possible, "Oh, you know, out and about, around the fields and … uh... stuff. RIght Willie?" I looked at him to back me up. He was trying hard to not laugh as he nodded, "yep, just around."

Casey narrowed her eyes, but didn't argue. After a couple of seconds she shrugged and turned back to the laundry.

As Willie and I finished up the chores we had neglected over the past hour, I thought ahead to the dance tomorrow. Now that I was assured of not making a complete fool of myself, I was kind of looking forward to it. Especially if I got to dance with Casey. After all, that's how this whole weird, amazing adventure got started!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The party day finally arrived. The entire Watson clan (and there were a lot of them) were coming, so the house was a bit chaotic with everyone running around to get ready. Willie had lent me a suit and Casey had borrowed a dress from Sara. Once I was dressed, I decided that the best place for me was to stand away from the madness. As I watched Charlotte and Abigal argue over who would wear the green ribbon in their braids, Casey sidled up to me.

"You look great, you know."

"Thanks, I sort of feel like Abraham Lincoln in this, though," I gestured to my top hat and coat with tails.

"Just missing the beard," Casey chuckled and rolled her eyes. "At least you don't have to wear a bird cage." At my confused look she lifted up part of her massive skirt to reveal what did indeed resemble a giant bird cage.

"Ah, I wondered how the girls got their skirts to poof out like that at the bottom. I don't envy you at all in that thing." She just rolled her eyes again and I grinned.

Our fashion talk was interrupted by Mr. Watson shouting that it was time to go. Casey and I clamored into one of the carriages with the older Watson kids. As Sara and Casey made idle chit-chat along the way, I metally practiced the dance moves Sara had taught me. When we arrived at the estate, I hate to say that I was impressed. The place was huge! This guy must have inherited a ton of money to live in a place like this. _Or__he__profited__from__the__slave__trade_, said a small voice in the back of my head. The thought made me scowl. But I pushed the thought aside as we entered the house. This was going to be my chance to impress Casey and besides, I had no proof that that's where the money came from and even if he did profit from slavery, he's not the only one during this time period who did. Many of the other guests had already arrived and were milling around, chatting. Most of the men were dressed just like me, and the women were wearing the same multi-layered poofy skirts as Casey, but in a variety of colors. Above me, several chandeliers flickered. I would hate to be the manservant responsible for lighting all those candles. There was a brass band in one corner currently playing a Christmas song.

I heard a giggle beside me and expected to see Casey, only to see a couple of girls I had never met before, sending glances my way. I sent a smile back and they blushed. Another girl joined them and the three of them began whispering, sending more glances my way. I waved and they started giggling again. I sent them another half-smile and resisted rolling my eyes. This century or the next girls were pretty much the same when it came to guys and dances. My eyes meandered around the crowd, looking for one girl in particular. I caught sight of Casey on the dance floor. With Robert. My mood immediately soured and I narrowed my eyes at Robert. This was _not_ how I had anticipated the evening going and it had barely started. I could tell they were chatting and I wished I could hear their conversation. The guy was way to in to her for my liking. Of course, I didn't really have a claim on Casey or anything, but I still felt protective and not in a brotherly way.

"You look like you just drank a glass of sour milk," said a voice to my right, startling me out of my reverie.

"Huh, oh, hi Sara. Yeah, uh, it's nothing." I replied.

She laughed and then looked to the dance floor to where I had been staring. Her face fell as her gaze landed on the couple.

"Hmm, Robert and Cassandra seem to be enjoying each other quite well, no?" She grimaced, wearing an expression that rivaled my own. Oh yeah, Casey had mentioned that Sara had a crush on Robert. Couldn't these girls see through that fake southern charm?

"I think I'll see if I can find Willie." Sara turned and left.

The dance ended and Casey and Robert made their way to the punch table. Robert then called over one of the butlers, who accompioned Casey out one of the side doors. I took a deep breath and started to walk towards Robert. Better to just confront they guy and tell him to lay off my "sister." I didn't get the chance though. He struck up a conversation with some of the other men and my path was blocked by one of the girls that had been flirting with me earlier. She batted her eyes and gave a curtsy, introducing herself as Mary. She waited and I realized I had to be polite. My confrontation with Robert would have to wait. I bowed and gave her my name. I glanced around and still didn't see Casey. Figuring I should practice my dance moves at least once, since I'd gone through the trouble to learn, I opened my mouth to ask Mary to dance. However I didn't get the chance. One of the servants rang a bell and announced that dinner was served. I gave the girl a half shrug and we followed the rest of the guests into the dining room.

Geez, if I thought the ballroom was extravagent, this place took the cake! And there was lots of cake to be had. In addition to a billion or so other fancy foods. I saw Willie at the other end of the table and noticed a nameplate with my name next to his. Sara sat down on the other side of her brother. I saw Casey enter and was about to rise to greet her when Robert swooped in to escort her to our part of the table. My scowl from earlier returned. Once all the guests were seater, a quick prayer was offered up and then the meal began. I'm loathe to admit that I was again impressed. The food was rich and delicious. Don't get me wrong, I love the Watsons. But their daily meals were simple and filling, nothing fancy. Here, Robert had roasted duck and bread pudding and the most heavenly mashed potatoes I'd ever had. I chalked it up to the use of butter and whole milk. With my full stomach, I had almost forgotten that I was mad at our host. Almost.

"I love a woman with a good appetite," said Robert, his eyes watching Casey.

Wait, what? Was that a compliment or an insult? She seemd to not know either and conciously lowered her fork and knife to dab at her mouth with her napkin.

Robert then faced Willie, Sara, and I and asked, "Are you having a good time?"

Before I could respond with some snarky remark, Willie answered, "Yes, very nice. Thank you again for inviting us to your Christmas party. It's very generous of you to include our whole family."

"It is my pleasure," he responded.

I took another bite of food so I wouldn't be tempted to comment only to have Robert shift his gaze towards me.

"I hope you don't mind my dominating your sister's time tonight. You can't blame a man for desiring the company of such a beautiful woman."

I started choking on my food as I tried to swallow to respond. I grabbed my water and Robert continued,

"I wish that your father was here, Cassandra."

I took a big swg of the water and coughed. Then his words sunk in. Oh no. Oh no no no no.

"Why?" Casey asked.

Oh no, she didn't get it! This guy, this jerk seriously wants to...

"Because, I am the type of man who likes to do things properly. I would like to ask your father for your hand in marriage."

Oh god. I could feel the color drain from my face as color swept up all over Casey's. She coughed a little and replied,

"But, Robert, uh, we barely know eachother!"

"I know everything I need to know. I haven't stopped thinking about you since the day we met in the bookstore. You are what I want, and I don't mean to sound conceited [yeah right], but I always get what I want."

Seriously?! Ok, I was now way beyond annoyed. The guy was making me furious. How dare he treat her like a piece of property like that. I gripped the tablecloth, using alll my willpower to not lunge across the table and tackle him. However, I also knew that wouldn't go over so well in this setting. Casey sent me a pleading glance, and I knew I had to think of something to fix this.

Keeping my voice as steady as I could I said,

"Robert, since our father _isn__'__t_ present, I must speak as the man of the house, uh, male responsible for Case, uh, Cassandra, and I think she's too young." There, that would work, right?

"With all due respect," responded Robert, "Cassandra is a woman of marrying age. I am a man in good standing and of substantial means. I would take excellent care of her and your family too. Our union would be mutally beneficial."

_My_ family? This guy knew absolutely nothing about her family or mine and was making presumptions about taking _care_ of _us_? I'm pretty sure they guy hated me as much as I hated him. I was about to respond again when Robert turned to Casey,

"Cassandra, darling, I would like to hear from you. May I speak with your father to ask for his permission for us to marry?"

Her eyes frantically darted towards me and the Watsons. The room had gotten quiet and everyone had paused their conversations to hear her response. _C__'__mon__Casey_, I thought, _I__can__'__t__get__you__out__of__this__one__. __Just__tell__the__guy__no__and__let__'__s__leave__!_

Her face colored again and she looked at Robert then down at her hands.

"Maybe." she said, quietly.

Uh oh.

_Author__'__s__Note_

_Thank__you__Pzioneyed__for__the__review__ - __you__inspired__me__to__write__the__next__two__chapters__and__post__again__! _

_Also__, __I__'__ve__sketched__out__the__rest__of__this__story__and__have__divided__it__into__ 25 __chapters__. __Some__will__be__short__, __others__will__be__longer__, __it__just__depends__on__the__scene__. _

_Thanks__for__reviewing__, __favoriting__, __and__following__!_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Oh, was I angry.  
A) I had learned how to dance for the stupid party and didn't even get the chance to show off,

B) All that rich food at the party had given me a massive stomach ache, and oh yeah

C) ROBERT WILLINGS-JERK PROPOSED TO CASEY AND SHE SAID _MAYBE_!

The ride back from the party had been in awkward silence. Sara was on the verge of crying, Casey was fidgeting, and Willie and I had enough sense to keep our mouths shut.

But were back in the cabin now and I was pacing the room in a vain attempt to control my temper. It was wasn't working.

"I don't know why you're so upset. It's not like I said yes," Casey commented.

I stopped pacing and just looked her stupified. Did she really not get it?

"I just don't know what you were thinking!"

She sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Everyone was looking at me. The whole room just got quiet, I mean, what was that about? And I didn't say yes. I said maybe. How can that be considered a yes?"

"Because," I replied through clenched teeth, "maybe isn't NO."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't very well come right out and say that, could I?" she huffed and walked over to the wash basin. "I mean, he's Robert Willingsworth, rich guy, lots of friends and a very important person, et cetera."

Really? Was that the kind of guy Casey was into? Casey who shoots quail with slingshots and steals clothes from clotheslines at risk of getting shot? Casey who delivered a baby while I made toast? I couldn't believe she'd be content to be a trophey wife for a snotty, rich, popular guy? I guess I pegged her as less superficial than that.

"It would have been inconsiderate of me to embarrass him after he'd been so generous inviting everyone to his mansion."

"Hrmph," I snorted, "So he's a VIP, but what about Sara Watson, hmm? Anyone can see she's crazy about him." Though I stll think he's not worthy of a smart girl like Sara.

"Everyone except Robert." She paused as if debating the truth of that. In a different tone, she asked rhetorically, "Why do you think he would propose dot me with a room full of people watching? He was trying to manipulate me into saying yes, can't you see that?" She stomped over to her side of the makeshift curtain and I averted my gaze as she undressed and scurried into bed.

Maybe Casey had a point. That was a really jerk move by Willingsworth to ask for her hand in marriage in front of everyone like that. Still, she's a perfectly capable 21st century girl. She should have said no outright.

"More than anything I hate how this hurts Sara," she continued, "but I don't think humiliating her family in front of all of Boston would have helped."

Couldn't she see that Sara was humiliated anyways? I turned to stare at Casey through the sheet. Casey blew out the candle and I was left standing in the dark. I thought I was falling for this girl, but now I wasn't so sure. Not if she was going to allow bastards like Willingsworth to manipulate her like that. The guy had f-ed everything up and now I wasn't even sure what to think. So what if the situation was "complicated," she should have been honest and straightforward.

Ugh, but was I any better? Here I am, crushing on Casey, but afraid to tell her how I feel because it would make the brother/sister charade much more awkward in the past and we're not exactly in the same social circles in the present. Does that make me just as awful a person as Robert if I let our own complicated situation dictate my level of honesty? I scowled. _No_, I resolved, _I__was__going_ _to__be__nothing__like__Willingsworth_. Even if that meant being honest with Casey and telling her how I feel. Having made up my mind to have that conversation with Casey tomorrow, I undressed in the dark and crawled into my own cot, falling into a fitful sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next morning I got up at the first rooster crow (usually I don't rise until at least the third one), put on my boots and stomped out to the barn. I knew that I had to talk some more with Casey about what had happened at the dinner and tell her my own feelings but I was still too mad to be expected to act reasonably. I needed a day's distraction of work to cool off, so I headed to the barn to start on my chores.

I was onto cow number three when Sara hurried into the barn, distracting me fron the rhythm of the milking.

"Nathaniel, I came to tell you that Robert arrived." I stood up, knocking over the pail and spiling the quart of milk I had already gathered. What was he doing here? Can't he give her a break?

Sara continued, "I did not think you would approve of their being together unchaparoned, so I came to find you."

"Thank you Sara. I most definitely do not approve of his being here. Let's get back to the house."

We took off, Sara was slower due to her dress, but I flew straight to the kitchen door. I swung it open, not bothering to knock. Robert was gripping Casey by her forearm and she looked terrified. I narrowed my eyes and felt the same rage from last night course through my veins. I rushed over to stand between them. Willingsworth removed his fist from Casey's forearm before I had the opportunity to forcefully remove it myself. He cast his gaze on me and smiled, making his face look appropriately snake-like.

"Ah, the brother," he smirked, "or are you?"

I was fuming too much to form complete sentences, so Casey jumped in,

"Of course he is, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the mystery I found so attractive in you, involves him somehow. The way he looks at you, it's not natural for a brother."

_You__know__what__is__natural__for__a__brother__, __punching__your__face__in__for__hurting__her__._

Still fuming all I could do was clench my fists tighter and increase the intensity of of my glare.

He stood up, adjusted his vest and said to Casey, "So, yes, I think you're right after all my dear. There will be no wedding. Please, I will find my own way out."

He turned and huffed as he left, letting the kitchen door slam behind him. Once I was sure he was gone for good, I let the tension slowly seep out of my back and arms. I took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that was still roiling through me. Once I felt marginally calmer I turned to Casey. Tears were falling from the corners of her eyes and it broke my heart to see what the jackass had done to her. Though I knew she wasn't I still asked, "Casey, are you ok?"

She sniffled and nodded. "Your timing was amazing."

"Sara came to the barn looking for me," I explained, "she told me Robert had arrived. I thought you might need moral support to, uh, do the right thing."

As if on cue, the kitchen door cracked open and Sara peeked in.

"Sara?" Casey called, "It's okay."

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to intrude," she opened the door wider and stepped inside.

"It's over, he's gone." Casey unconsciously rubbed her arm where Willingsworth had grabbed her.

Sara noticed her movements and hurried closer to inspect Casey's now bruising arm.

"Cassandra, did he hurt you?" she exclaimed.

"A bit, but I'm okay." Yeah right. The jerk hurt her and even I could tell it wasn't just a physical pain she was in at the moment. She still looked really shook up.

Sara glanced at her shoes, "I never would have believed him capable of such ungentlemanly behaviour." I could tell she was embarrassed at not seeing the signs before and for falling for his charm.

"I'm just glad we all know the truth now," I grimaced. Finally Willingsworth was revealed to be the snake I knew him to be. It just killed me that I had let it get to the point of him physically hurting Casey for that truth to become apparent. I swear, next time I see the man...

"I think I need to lie down for awhile," Casey said, once again interrupting my murderous daydreams.

"Of course," Sara said, rushing to Casey's side helping her up. I cut in though,

"Sara, I'll take her." I wasn't completely sure that Willingsworth had left the property and I wasn't going to risk not being there for her again if he dared show his face.

I put my arm around her shoulder and helped her up. She tried to fight me off, but it was half-hearted. By the time we were halfway to the cabin, she was clinging onto me and looked exhausted. While we walked, I let my imagination return to possible ways to murder Willingsworth. As a scene of me delivering a swift uppercut to the man played out in my mind Casey grasped my hand and there was a sudden flash of light. Startled I blinked and looked around, squinting at the sudden fluorescent brightness. My brain registered the smell of fried food as the echoing din of muddled conversations filled my ears. I glanced down at Casey, who was still in my embrace. She shot me a half smile,

"We're back."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Casey returned my gaze, a hint of sadness in her now racoon-ish eyes. I blinked again and looked up, still not quite registering the sudden change. Tyson and Josh were eating burgers and laughing at another table, not paying any attention to me. Casey's friend was looking at the two of us, her mouth gaping like a fish. Suddenly there was a shrill shriek behind me. I cringed, registering exactly who that scream belonged to.

"Oh boy."

I instinctively let go of Casey and took a couple steps backwards, turning as Jessica Fuller stepped off the escalator. At her scream the din in the food court had quieted and it seemed as if everyone was staring at her and I. It felt oddly similar to the disastrous dinner party dinner party last night with everyone watching us.

"Nate, what are you doing?!" Jessica squealed. She marched over to our table, glaring at Casey. Fearing what Jessica might try to do to her, I stood once again between Casey and someone eager to hurt her.

Hoping to diffuse the situation, I greeted her calmly as if I hadn't just had my arms around another girl. I also felt a little bad that over the past couple of days I had completely forgetten that I even had a girlfriend in this century. Oops.

"Hi Jessica."

She ignored my greeting and continued to glare at Casey.

"Why are you sitting with her," she asked me loudly, practically spitting out the last word and pointing at the girl behind me. "And why did you have your arm around her?" She was practically yelling and I could still feel the stares of the food court on us. Ugh, I was tired and disoriented and not wanting to deal with Jessica at the moment. I thought back to a week ago when we had been in the food court before travelling back.

"Jessica, don't make a deal out of it, I was just wishing Casey a Happy Birthday."

"But why? She's so, so..."

I didn't know what she was trying to say, and I was eager to get out of the limelight so I spoke up,

"Jess, please, just drop it," I wearily pleaded. She seemed to realize then that she was drawing attention and lowered her voice,

"Babe, please, just promise me that you'll never go near her again," she whined as she reached for my hand.

Uh, no. I wasn't about to let Jessica Fuller tell me who I could and couldn't be with. What on earth did she have against Casey anyways?

I glanced back at Casey. She looked tired and sad, as if she expected that I would leave her just like Jessica wanted without a second glance. I saw the rings under her eyes and then my gaze drifted to her forearm, where the bruise was starting to color. My lips formed a tight grimace and I turned back to Jessica, prying my hand out of hers.

"No," I replied, "I won't promise that." How could I stay away from Casey now. Someone had to protect her from jerks like Willingsworth. Besides, Casey had proven herself twice the woman Jessica was.

"What!" she shrieked, her voice returning to an abnormally high decibel. I cringed, embarrassed at the scene she was causing. "Why not? What's she to you?"

_More__than__you__could__know_, I thought.

Instead, I leaned into her, trying to quiet her again, "Can we please talk about this later." Maybe after I had a good long nap.

"Why can't we talk about this now," she whined again, not getting the hint to lower her voice, "you don't _like_ her do you?" _Uh__yeah__, __I__do__, __but__if__I__tell__you__that__you__'__ll__probably__want__to__murder__her__._

"Baby?" she cooed, reaching again for my hand. I had run out of patience for Jessica and it was time to make that clear.

I was about to speak when she stepped back and gave me a puzzled look, "God, Nate, you look awful." Oh now she noticed. "What happened to you?" _Oh__you__know__, __just__a__little__time__-__traveling__is__all_, I thought to myself. Ignoring her question I proceeded to the task at hand. It was time to break-up with Jessica and if she wanted to talk about this now, that's what we were going to do.

"Listen Jessica, I didn't want to do this here, but I can't take it anymore. I want out." Phew, there we go. Decisive and straight to the point.

"What?" she asked, continuing to give me that puzzled look.

Oh geez, how much clearer could I have been? I took a deep breath and proceeded to explain in an exasperated tone, "It's not working."

"What's not working?"

Seriously? C'mon Jessica, please just get it. "Us," I replied.

"Us?"

Tired of the parroting I just nodded. She paused, letting it sink in, then asked, "Are you breaking up with me?" Finally!

"Yes." Another pause. Then,

"YOU!" She screamed, pointing at Casey with her manicured nail. I felt her flinch behind me. "I don't know how you did this you frizzy haired, plain-faced freak, but I will not forget it." She then spun on her heel and stormed out of the food court, flanked by a couple of girls in her posse.

Tyson and Josh had walked over by this point. Josh clapped me on the shoulder and Tyson had a giant goofy grin on his face.

"Dude, what was that about?" Tyson asked, still grinning. I just shrugged and let the two of them guide me out of the mall. I glanced back at Casey and gave her a short salute before continuing to walk out. I know the gesture wasn't enough, but it was about all I could muster at this point. I hadn't gotten to tell Casey my feelings yet, but at least Jessica was out of the way.

"Hello? Earth to Nate!"

_Huh__? _Josh was waving his hand in front of my face. "Dude, are you sure you're okay? We're meeting Danny at the bowling alley, you coming?" We had already reached the parking lot.

"Yeah, sorry. Everything's fine. I'm just tired, breaking up with someone like Jessica Fuller is really draining."

"Yeah, she didn't take it too well did she," Tyson chuckled.

"By the way, what _is_ up with you and that sophomore girl? Is that the same one we dared you to dance with at homecoming?"

"Yeah, I, uh, still felt bad about that so I wished her a happy birthday. There's nothing else." _Total__lie__._ "Listen, you guys have fun bowling, I'm heading to bed."

"Alright. By the way, you look like you got sucker-punched in the eye. You sure everything is okay?" Josh looked at me concerned.

"Yeah, just tired, like I said. I feel better after I sleep"

"K, see you Monday then."

"See ya."

Tyson and Josh walked to their car and I fished my own keys out of my pocket. I pressed the alarm button, since I had forgotten where I had parked over the course of the last week. Although it really hadn't been a week, but only a second. Argh, my head hurt enough without trying to figure out the time travel thing again. I drove home and was glad to see that no one else was home yet. I didn't want to try answering any more questions about my rugged appearance. When I reached my room I plopped on the bed without bothering to change and promptly fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

**Better late than never, right? I've got the chapters written all out of order, but I'll try to post them up when I'm done arranging and editing them. Enjoy this fluffy little piece in the meantime. And thanks to everyone following this story!**

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_I was standing on a balcony, looking down on a giant ballroom of some sort. Below me there were girls spinning, all of them wearing giant birdcages. I glanced to my left. A man with a beard and top hat was gesturing wildly, as if giving some sort of speech that I should be listening too, but I couldn't hear him. I looked back to the ballroom, but the birdcages had been replaced by clocks. The clocks started to spin and grow and they kept saying my name, Nate, Nate, -_

"Nate?"

I peeled open my eyes, groaning as I kicked off my bedcovers.

"Hey sweetie, you ok? You've been asleep almost twenty-four hours. Are you feeling sick?"

I groaned again as I brought my gaze to the woman standing over me, staring at me with worried eyes.

"Nah mom, I'm not sick. Just tired. Yesterday was kind of exhausting," I mumbled. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"No. It's already past 3pm and you still have chores and homework to do before school tomorrow," she scolded, as she grabbed the edge of my covers and yanked them off of me.

"And you fell asleep in your clothes! Was breaking up with Jessica really that exhausting?"

_Huh?_ "W-what? How did you know about that?"

"Kids aren't the only ones who gossip. You'd be amazed what we learn about our children at those PTA meetings," mom smirked. Then she waltzed out the room, humming to herself. Parents can be so weird sometimes.

I sat up in bed, and popped my back, thinking back to yesterday. There was the break-up, which my mom creepily already knew about, and before that there was Casey. A week of Casey and being in freakin' 1860. I massaged my temples as I tried to sort through my memories of the last day that had really been a week but actually only a day. I hadn't dreamt it, even though it seemed like I should have. But the people and the feelings had been all too real.

_Damn "feelings"._

Was Casey having the same feelings towards me that I was having towards her. Probably not. Sometimes I'd thought there had been a flicker of attraction, a moment when maybe…

Oh, who was I kidding. To her I was probably just the dumb jock that was nothing more than inconvenience in her crazy time traveling life. I shouldn't have even been there.

_But,_ I reminded myself, _you were there_. And if you hadn't been, think of what Robert might have done. My pulse quickened. Okay, maybe don't think about that.

"Nate? You up yet? I don't hear the shower running!" my mom yelled from downstairs. I sighed. My musings would have to wait. I'd see Casey on Monday and talk to her about it then. For today I'd oblige the parental overload and acquiesce to shower, homework, and chores. My stomach let out a grumble. Oh, and food. Lots of good, greasy 21st century food.

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**Alright, there you go. Light and fluffy snack to hold you over until the good stuff continues to roll in.**

**As always, thanks for reading!**


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